Best Buy issues cease and desist over Newegg ad, logo

Although Newegg has long been the one-stop-shop for system builders and hardware buffs, the California-based e-tailer is still relatively unknown among less tech-savvy crowds. In an effort to attract such customers, the company recently launched a new marketing campaign that compares the quality of Newegg's service with major brick-and-mortar chains such as Best Buy -- a common destination for typical electronics shoppers.

The commercial shows a customer asking a blue-shirted employee for a comparison between two notebooks. The worker stumbles for a few moments before admitting he doesn't know and the clip ends by saying "Newegg.com. Come for the expert reviews, buy for the excellent prices." A second commercial sends the same message: retail sales staff are uneducated and unhelpful, while Newegg offers the opinions of bona fide geeks.

Unsurprisingly, Best Buy hasn't taken kindly to the advertisment. The company has issued a cease and desist demanding that Newegg "promptly" and "permanently" abandon the commercial as it depicts Best Buy's employees as "slovenly" and "uninformed." Frankly, we think "slovenly" is somewhat of an exaggeration, but most tech enthusiasts would agree that the average Best Buy employee isn't particularly knowledgeable.

Along with the commercials, Newegg's campaign includes a new "Geek On" logo, which uses an orange, black and white color scheme and features a power button in place of the "O" in "On". Best Buy has an issue with this too, noting that it's awfully similar to various Geek Squad trademarks. Not only does Geek Squad use the same colors for its logos, but it also uses a power button design for its "Black Tie Protection" service.

Best Buy demands that Newegg cease all use of the Geek On logo and any other mark that combines the word "geek" with the color orange or a power button. "Your misuse of our valuable trademarks and your negative portrayal of our employees violate our trademark rights and misleads consumers about ours services," Best Buy said. It's unclear if Newegg will comply, but the e-tailer has defiantly posted the letter on Facebook.